(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . VAMPIRE-KILLERS NEEDED FOR MISSISSIPPI [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-23 By Steve Schear This November, progressives could plant a Democratic stake in the heart of GOP dominance in the Deep South. Brandon Presley is running a strong grassroots campaign against the highly unpopular Mississippi Governor, Tate Reeves. And believe it or not, Presley can win, especially if progressives around the country pitch in to help. The Incumbent Governor Reeves Is Extremely Vulnerable. In an August poll of likely voters, 54% gave Reeves a negative job rating, while only 42% were positive. Sixty-one per cent of independent voters gave him a negative job rating, and 28% of Republicans. In the Republican primary, 26% of Republicans did not vote for Reeves, a high number for an incumbent. One part of Reeves’ low approval ratings is due to a GOP corruption scandal involving the gross misuse of welfare money. Others are likely his lackluster personality and his failure to accomplish much during the last four years. Mississippi is the poorest state in the U.S. Despite its extreme poverty, Reeves has refused to accept Medicaid expansion, which would bring the State $1.35 billion in federal money. Those funds would enable the state to provide medical care to 220,000 Mississippians, while costing the state practically nothing. Meanwhile rural hospitals are closing, and Black rural residents of Mississippi receive both substandard healthcare and substandard education. Presley Is Running a Terrific Campaign and Can Win. Presley’s campaign is pushing hard on popular economic issues, especially the importance of Medicaid expansion and ending the very regressive state grocery tax. He also has a compelling life story. Although he is a second cousin to Elvis, he was raised by a single mom in a blue collar family. His uncle Harold, who served as his father figure, was a county sheriff who was shot and killed in the line of duty. Presley became mayor of his home town of Nettleton when he was 23, one of the youngest mayors ever elected in Mississippi. In 2007, at the age of 30, he won election as a Public Service Commissioner, the youngest commissioner in Mississippi history. He then won reelection three times, the last time unopposed, in the very conservative northern part of Mississippi. Presley has resisted advice to put most of his money into paid media. Instead, he has mounted a smart grassroots campaign, with 30 or more paid canvassers in the field knocking on doors up and down the state, along with lots of volunteers. Presley has said that he will make sure that the voter data and volunteers gained through his campaign will be maintained for future use in Mississippi. So if he loses, he will have created the foundation for future organizing by the Dems to gain ground. He can win with our help. The same August poll showed Presley tied with Reeves, after an April poll showed him just three points behind. Another poll released in June showed that 21% of Republican voters would vote for Presley. But Reeves has one big advantage. Due to deep pocket GOP donors, at last count, he currently had $9.6 million in cash on hand, while Presley had only $1.85 million. However, if progressives nationally rally behind Presley, we can help him overcome that gap and give him the resources he will need to win. In the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in April, we raised $14.5 million for the Dem candidate. In the Ohio initiative battle we won this month, our side raised $15 million in just three months. So we know we can help Presley win this race. We Have an Opportunity to Break Republican Hegemony in Mississippi. Although 37% of its population is Black, the most of any state, Mississippi remains under the firm grip of a white elite, which has been true since the first slaves arrived in Mississippi in 1719. Every elected state office holder has been white for the past 132 years, since 1890. 47% of Black children live in poverty, while only 10% of white kids are impoverished. If Presley is elected, he can have a real impact on people’s lives, despite the GOP’s control of the state legislature. He can accept Medicaid expansion, and he would also appoint all of the state government’s department heads, giving him the ability, e.g., to help Jackson with its water woes and devastating poverty. Investing in Mississippi makes sense politically, to break the GOP’s grip on most of the South in both the short and long run. And Presley has a real chance to win if progressives rally support nationally, as we did earlier this year in Ohio and Wisconsin. Although Presley is white, he is focused on empowering Blacks and addressing their needs. For the next two-and-one-half months, we have a special opportunity to help complete the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all the other activists who risked or gave their lives in the ‘60s to help give Blacks a more equal place in our democracy. The way to do that is to support Presley’s campaign for Governor of Mississippi, with time or money. You can donate or sign up to volunteer here. The white elite has sucked the blood of Black people in Mississippi for 304 years. Let’s shock the GOP and win some power in Mississippi! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/23/2189178/-VAMPIRE-KILLERS-NEEDED-FOR-MISSISSIPPI Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/